Spectacular construction at the new Condair building: Vollack drives 28-metre-long energy piles into the ground

Hamburg/Norderstedt, 9 June 2016. Just one month after the foundation stone ceremony at our future Condair site in Norderstedt on 3 May, a unique event occurred: two 28-metre-long ‘high-performance energy piles’ were driven into the ground. Condair has chosen an efficient energy concept involving geothermal energy, photovoltaics and a green roof for the construction of its new production and logistics facility for EMEA in Norderstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Our construction partner Vollack, the specialist for strategic building design, was commissioned with the construction and kicked off project implementation with a spectacular feat.

Two high-performance energy piles were driven into the ground with the aim of creating a pleasant indoor environment for the 130 employees who will be working at the future Condair site in Norderstedt. The piles are made of spun concrete and each have a diameter of 1.6 metres. Like wells, they use the cooling effect of the ground and combine this with modern energy storage technology. "In order to cool an office space of this size, the energy pile is one of the most innovative techniques we can use to equip a building for the future and make it energy-efficient," explains Johannes Bettsteller, a partner at Vollack. The benefit of this system is that it uses a simple, efficient method to create an optimal indoor environment in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way, Bettsteller asserts.

42,000 kilograms of CO2 saved per year

An electric cooling unit would normally be used to cool the approximately 3,700 square metres of office space. Cooling using energy piles saves the 42,000 kg of CO2 that a conventional active cooling system would produce in one year. The piles use geothermal energy – in this case, the cooling effect of the ground – as a regenerative energy source. Developed in 2004, this technology is still new and Vollack is using the high-performance energy piles for the first time. The ‘building strategist’ is well versed in using energy-efficient technologies that reduce environmental impact and still provide a high level of comfort in the building.

"As specialists in humidification and evaporative cooling, we obviously care greatly about the indoor environment in our own offices. That’s why we chose an interior design that would epitomise our specialism. Part of our focus is not just about creating a good indoor environment, but also ensuring that this is done in an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient way. Vollack is our ideal partner, with a great amount of experience both in designing working environments and in providing energy-efficient solutions," explains Oliver Zimmermann, CEO of Condair Group.